U.N.- Professional Actions?

And now the most intriguing two minutes in television, the latest from the wartime grapevine:

Saddam Skimmed $10.1 Billion

The General Accounting Office says Saddam Hussein's government skimmed $10.1 billion dollars off the U.N.'s oil-for-food program -- more than one and a half times higher than earlier estimates. The GAO has determined that Saddam illegally smuggled oil out of Iraq and put billions of dollars worth of illicit surcharges on otherwise legal oil sales.

This comes after recent allegations, based on documents discovered in Iraq, that Saddam bribed officials in the U.N., which later hired companies that paid Saddam kickbacks. What's more, the company overseeing oil-for-food contracts had U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's son, Kojo, on its payroll.

More ... Or Less Poll-itical Coverage

Remember the results from the CBS/New York Times poll we told you about last night that were played down by the Times? They showed that, with Ralph Nader in the race, President Bush beats John Kerry by eight percentage points.

Well, CBS hasn't mentioned those results, from its own poll, at all during its chief newscast, the "CBS Evening News." But since last month, according to the Columbia Journalism Review, the "Evening News" has -- on five different occassions -- mentioned poll results showing Kerry ahead of President Bush.

Bush the Butt of More Jokes

A new study shows that since the political season began in January, the major late night and cable comedy shows have targeted President Bush with jokes nearly three times more often than any of his challengers.

According to the study, by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, President Bush was the butt of 228 jokes, followed by Howard Dean with 84, and then John Kerry with 60.

What's more, there were 61 jokes deriding President Bush's intelligence, while there was not one deriding Kerry's intelligence. There were similar results for jokes about honesty and gay rights.

Commission's New Move

Speaking of gay rights, the Rhea County Commission in Tennessee has unanimously approved a move to charge gay couples throughout the state with crimes against nature, and the County Commissioner who introduced the measure is hoping to ban gays and lesbians from living in Rhea County altogether.

Commissioner J.C. Fugate says -- "We need to keep them out of here." The commission will now bring its measure to state lawmakers. Rhea County, by the way, is the same county that in 1925 hosted the famous "Scopes monkey trial" in which John Scopes was convicted of teaching evolution in the public schools, inspiring the play and movie "Inherit the Wind."